Blue-billed White Tern - Honolulu Zoo, HI
White Terns (Gygis alba), also known locally as Manu o Kū, are elegant seabirds common around Honolulu and Waikiki Beach. Their snow-white plumage, long pointed wings, and dark eyes make them easy to spot above hotels and palm-lined streets. Uniquely, these birds balance a single egg on open branches, often choosing plumeria trees near the Honolulu Zoo. Both parents share incubation and feed chicks by offering small fish in a graceful aerial courtship display. Ornithologists are now considering splitting the Hawaiian population into its own distinct species, adding excitement for visiting birdwatchers.